I need some advice. How does my form look. It feels wierd and kinda stiff and awkward on the inside of my legs.
Don’t know why but it appears to of been sped up?
This is me doing a front squat with olympic weightlifting shoes.
You have a very wide stance and flat footwear for someone squatting high bar. Is there any reason for that?
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
You have a very wide stance and flat footwear for someone squatting high bar. Is there any reason for that?[/quote]
If I go with a narrower stance I feel like I am going to fall over and struggle to reach depth. I will be posting more with varying stances.
Is anyone not seeing the video? Sometimes i see them other times they are not there.
[quote]YamatoDamashii92 wrote:
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
You have a very wide stance and flat footwear for someone squatting high bar. Is there any reason for that?[/quote]
If I go with a narrower stance I feel like I am going to fall over and struggle to reach depth. I will be posting more with varying stances.
Is anyone not seeing the video? Sometimes i see them other times they are not there.[/quote]
Wearing the weightlifting shoes might help with that. I’ve never known much benefit squatting high bar with flat shoes. However, your form looks very “low bar” to me, with the amount of forward lean you have versus an upright torso. What is your goal in squatting?
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
[quote]YamatoDamashii92 wrote:
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
You have a very wide stance and flat footwear for someone squatting high bar. Is there any reason for that?[/quote]
If I go with a narrower stance I feel like I am going to fall over and struggle to reach depth. I will be posting more with varying stances.
Is anyone not seeing the video? Sometimes i see them other times they are not there.[/quote]
Wearing the weightlifting shoes might help with that. I’ve never known much benefit squatting high bar with flat shoes. However, your form looks very “low bar” to me, with the amount of forward lean you have versus an upright torso. What is your goal in squatting?[/quote]
My goal was to do a very upright high bar squat but I just can’t seem to do one. My squat form has improved massively I used to just pitch right over but I still can’t keep a vertical torso.
[quote]YamatoDamashii92 wrote:
My goal was to do a very upright high bar squat but I just can’t seem to do one. My squat form has improved massively I used to just pitch right over but I still can’t keep a vertical torso.[/quote]
No, I mean, for what reason are you squatting. What is the goal of the squat in your training.
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
[quote]YamatoDamashii92 wrote:
My goal was to do a very upright high bar squat but I just can’t seem to do one. My squat form has improved massively I used to just pitch right over but I still can’t keep a vertical torso.[/quote]
No, I mean, for what reason are you squatting. What is the goal of the squat in your training.[/quote]
I want to get strong and add muscle. Well I want to get healthy after getting gout at 22. My idea was to get in shape through lifting weights, eating right and losing bodyfat. I would like to compete in something eventually like powerlifting, olympic lifting.
I have no experience lifting though.
If that’s the case, you may consider employing a low bar squat instead. You’ve got the mechanics for that a bit more dialed in as is, and it will help you reach your goals.
YouTube actually seems to work a bit better for posting videos. You can set them up so only people with a link can see it, and then post the link here.
I think you’re putting the cart before the horse with respect to working on form. There are a lot of things you can “get away with” with a lighter weight, that you can’t do when the weight is actually heavy (in this case, I mean, 85% of your 1RM or heavier). You can have picture perfect form with just the bar, but that form may not actually work for you once you’re lifting heavier. No matter how much time and practice you put in with the lighter weight.
On the other hand, if you work toward having “pretty good” form with a heavier weight – making adjustments and trying things that keep you tighter and more solid, and able to move more – you can then practice and refine that form with a lighter weight. I think experience with heavy weight is required to even learn what “good form” is, for you. What works for one person doesn’t always work for someone else.
That’s not to say that there’s no value to mobility and flexibility work, or that form doesn’t matter. Just that putting too much work into form work up front may not be the best use of your time.
FWIW, just my opinion/observation/experience, not prescriptive by any means.
What is the consensus on Mark Rippetoe’s form? I see some people on the forums advocating his technique and others saying it is terrible. Does anyone have any good videos for those who want to learn how to low bar squat?
[quote]LoRez wrote:
YouTube actually seems to work a bit better for posting videos. You can set them up so only people with a link can see it, and then post the link here.
I think you’re putting the cart before the horse with respect to working on form. There are a lot of things you can “get away with” with a lighter weight, that you can’t do when the weight is actually heavy (in this case, I mean, 85% of your 1RM or heavier). You can have picture perfect form with just the bar, but that form may not actually work for you once you’re lifting heavier. No matter how much time and practice you put in with the lighter weight.
On the other hand, if you work toward having “pretty good” form with a heavier weight – making adjustments and trying things that keep you tighter and more solid, and able to move more – you can then practice and refine that form with a lighter weight. I think experience with heavy weight is required to even learn what “good form” is, for you. What works for one person doesn’t always work for someone else.
That’s not to say that there’s no value to mobility and flexibility work, or that form doesn’t matter. Just that putting too much work into form work up front may not be the best use of your time.
FWIW, just my opinion/observation/experience, not prescriptive by any means.[/quote]
I understand where you are coming from I am just worried about hurting myself or starting a program and after the first few workouts learning some awful form that i end up having to break later with more effort and time than if I just get it right at the start.
[quote]YamatoDamashii92 wrote:
What is the consensus on Mark Rippetoe’s form? I see some people on the forums advocating his technique and others saying it is terrible. Does anyone have any good videos for those who want to learn how to low bar squat?[/quote]
I don’t like it, but if you can get bigger and stronger using it, it’s a good form.
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
[quote]YamatoDamashii92 wrote:
What is the consensus on Mark Rippetoe’s form? I see some people on the forums advocating his technique and others saying it is terrible. Does anyone have any good videos for those who want to learn how to low bar squat?[/quote]
I don’t like it, but if you can get bigger and stronger using it, it’s a good form.[/quote]
What don’t you like about it? How does it differ from your own? If you don’t mind me asking.
For a high-bar squat, two of the more instructional videos I found useful in the past. Mostly just by studying their form at different points and trying to understand what exactly they’re doing and trying to replicate it.
For other squat styles, find someone who squats a particular way, and you can often find training videos of them in the gym. Training videos are going to be more useful than PR videos.
For example:
Basically, try to replicate their squats… stance, knee/hip break, back tightness, pushing through with the glutes, etc. and then see what you learn from doing that in terms of improving your own squat.
[quote]YamatoDamashii92 wrote:
What don’t you like about it? How does it differ from your own? If you don’t mind me asking.[/quote]
I don’t like it for me because I find that the elbows being high in the back, combined with the emphasis on hip drive/leading with the glutes, followed by the eyes downward portion, tends to result in me falling forward and dumping the bar.
However, I’ve known people that have squatted with his style with success. It’s all about finding your own technique.
I just tried a low bar squat and it felt really good. Brought my stance in, elbows up. Only problem was that even with the thumbless grip it kinda hurt my wrists.
Try it with a rack. Right now, you’re picking up the bar and holding the weight in your hand, when you want to be holding it with your back. Pulling the bar down into your back will help as well.
In my opinion, and from recent experience, to achieve a quality high-bar, olympic style squat, you need to assess (and improve where necessary) the following:
- Hip and ankle mobility
- Thoracic extension
- Core strength
- Glute strength and the ability to actually recruit them in the lift
- Spine angle, particularly one’s ability to eliminate tail-tuck (butt-wink) at the bottom position. Typically related to…
- Flexibility of the hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, chest muscles, shoulders
I’m still a work-in-progress, but my squat technique (and the way I move in general) continues to improve with each session, the more time I dedicate to improving mobility. My workouts are about three hours long, now that I have added almost an hour dedicated solely to warming up (30-45 mins at the start, 15 mins at the end). I don’t start lifting until I feel “right”, so to speak.
Also, I squat at the beginning of every workout (~5 days a week), regardless of what other movements I plan on doing. I have some knee issues, so I will occasionally skip squats if a thorough warm-up does not eliminate any discomfort. However, for the most part, regular squatting all but cured my knee pain.
Just my opinion. Good luck.
My upper back is aching and sore from those squats yesterday. Could that be a reason that I can’t do high bar squats with a vertical torso? Because of a weak upper back?